Learn how to make a parafoil kite with these easy-to-follow instructions. Fully illustrated with closeup photos, every step of the way.
These instructions will take you step-by-step through making a 120 cm (48 in.) tall parafoil kite.
This four-cell kite performs best in gentle to moderate wind speeds. That's 12 to 28 kph or 8 to 18 mph. Even in light winds, this kite will hang in the air, although at low line angles. In fresh winds, it pulls firmly for its size, so small kids should only fly it while supervised!
Some of the lines are longer than the standard 30 cm (12 in.) of most rulers. So, a handy trick is to stretch out a length of flying line, weigh it down at each end, and then make several dots beside it — less than a ruler length apart. The dots can then be joined by using your ruler. With care, you will end up with a perfectly straight long ruled line every time.
The MBK Parafoil kite is inspired by similar-looking retail kites, some of which are quite large and expensive. However, this tape and plastic version works in exactly the same way and has been tested up to 200 feet off the ground.
Materials for this kite
The kite described here will do well with just about any fairly robust plastic sheet. For example, heavy-duty painter's drop sheet or drop cloth plastic. That would be around four mil thickness for those buying plastic sheet in the US. My kite also used council bin liner plastic, which is somewhat thicker and stronger than trash can (rubbish bin) liners.
Ordinary clear sticky tape in a dispenser is good for tacking seams together before laying down 5 cm (2 in.) clear packing tape for strength and stiffness. Other edges just require sticky tape alone. I used the 1.8 cm (3/4 in.) wide variety.
These instructions illustrate a parafoil made with 50 pound (strength) Dacron bridle lines. This type of line is readily available from eBay and Amazon online stores.
Upper And Lower Surfaces
When this kite flies, one surface of the sail faces the sky — the upper surface. The other surface is easily visible from the ground — the lower surface. In between the two surfaces are vertical panels I will refer to as dividers.
On this site, there's more kite-making info than you can poke a stick at :-)
Want to know the most convenient way of using it all?
The Big MBK E-book Bundle is a collection of downloads — printable PDF files which provide step-by-step instructions for many kites large and small.
Every kite in every MBK series.
Judge the horizontal directions by eye. If you're careful, there's no need for a T-square since the sail ends up symmetrical anyway.
Half the dots
are already marked, so now you mark in the remaining ones. Almost
invisible in the photo below, but they are all there, small and in
black:
Hint: If it's too hard to see through the plastic, just lay it up against a sunlit window to mark in the dots.
Note: The photo has been edited to make the lines darker and easier to see.
I have used orange plastic for this keel.
Contrasting colors make it easier to see what is going on in later
stages of construction.
Start with a fresh sheet of plastic. This is
similar to the very first step—"Measuring Upper Surface and Side
Keels". I used a lighter shade of blue plastic for the lower
surface.
Half the dots
are already marked, so now you mark in the remaining ones. They
haven't been highlighted this time, but they are all there, small and
in black.
As mentioned earlier, there's more kite making on this site than you can poke a stick at :-)
Want to know the most convenient way of using it all?
The Big MBK E-book Bundle is a collection of downloads — printable PDF files which provide step-by-step instructions for many kites large and small.
Every kite in every MBK series.